Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Making of Jill Valentine


JILL VALENTINE!
I have always wanted a Jill Valentine costume. Specifically, Jill valentine from Resident Evil 3. The biggest issue stopping me was that I never thought I was thin enough to cosplay Jill...I still don't think I really am...but it's probobly not a healthy goal to strive for the physique of a video game character, so I did it anyways!

I think my biggest attatchment to this particular version of Jill, is the result of Resident Evil 3 being one of the first survival horror games I ever played..I think I was in 7th grade and I still remember it vividly. There was just no scary movie that could stir up the fear and adrenaline like Nemesis could when he decided to jump through a nearby window and chase you for what always seemed like an eternity until he broke your neck.

File:Nemesis.jpg
and although I had much hatred for him then (espescially when he had that rocket launcher! *shakes fist*), I must admit that I freaking love Nemesis. I mean, how can you not love that face?!
I was hooked after RE3, and still love survival horror games to this day. 

Costume Construction; 
The wig was from WigFashion on Ebay, and due to it coming the day before the con, I didnt really have time to cut it before we left, and I forgot to bring a wighead to cut it at the hotel, so I had to wear it as is.

The top was made completely from scratch. I made my own pattern. The blue is a thin, very stretchy dancewear fabric because it was all I could find in a nice blue. I lined it in a thick white cotton-lycra.

The skirt ended up being pretty simple. I had originally purchased black satin with a leathery-finish to make this skirt because no fabric stores carried any matte pleather/leather, but later decided that I wanted the leather. I found a leather skirt at at thrift store that was way to big, cut it up, and sewed it back toegether adding the seams in the front. The grey stripe on the bottom is non-stretch cotton, which was a hilarious oversight on my part, as I could barely lift my leg high enough to go up a flight of stairs with that stripe on the bottom, which prevented me even attempting to get some cool action-shot photos in this costume.

The sweater tied around my waist was also bought at a thrift store. The search for suitable shoes (or even a suitable pair of base boots to cover) was surprisingly difficult. I did eventually find two pairs of thrift store boots that I planned to frankenstein together with Shoooogooooooo to make Jills boots, but I ran out of time, and MIRACULOUSLY my friend happened to have a pretty awesome pair that she was able to lend me the night before we left for the con, I just put the straps on overtop.

Highlights in this costume:
A few of us got to be in the background for a taping of G4's X-Play, which was pretty cool; (Yeah, I'm a dork and screencapped it)

Also met a guy who's birth name was Chris Redfield (he had ID and everything), and while taking a picture with him, also met a random drunk guy who approached by bf; "HEY yuu let people take peectures with yer girlfriend?!?..CAN I HAZ A PICTURE WITH YER GIRLFRIEND?!" (he didn't actually speak lolcat).

Fixes for next time;
Finish the boots that I started
Change out the grey stripe for a stretchy one
Cut and style the wig
Get a gun prop!

This costume will be worn again at Anime North as part of a RE group (hopefully)!

1 comment:

  1. Not thin enough?! You have a great physique, even lucky enough to be well-endowed. ^^

    Your costume looks great and it's so cool you got to be on G4!
    Every convention I go to, there's always hilarious drunk people that don't know what's going on with all the costumed people. XD

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